x86 (intel/AMD) State of the Architecture: Mobile edition

                                         

  The M1 has launched and with it the storylines of the next year, the chipset has been touted to be a x86 killer, but is it really? Of course, all those storylines surround the upcoming Macs, but what about the existing architecture, where does this leave intel and AMD? 

With all honesty it won't mean much for most people, the long and short of it is that most Windows and Chrome OS devices will continue to use intel and AMD processors.  Apple has also guaranteed that there are still intel macs to be released, eventually all Macs will be on Apple silicon but for now some will still be intel.  

AMD

Intel and AMD have long been the dominating players in 3 segments, laptops, desktops, and Gaming.  Apple silicon is only going to affect laptops and gaming, I think it's safe to say that x86 owns gaming right now, so I'll leave it be for the time being. In laptops AMD has been soaring with their Ryzen 4000 series of Chipsets, at 7nm and 4-core standards they put performance above all else, with the U-series they struck a balance between performance and efficiency. They went nuts with the H-series and just hosed intel in every category except graphics in some areas, power comes with cost, the H-series was made for those who needed power and most devices that have it also have discrete GPU's.  The H-series is also known to run extremely hot at times, case in point the Asus ROG Zephyrs G14 is one of the best Gaming Laptops out there and it achieves superb performance while burning your legs of, this is a given in Gaming laptops because their made to hit peak performance while plugged in. You still can't escape it, despite their performance AMD had to sacrifice to achieve it, battery life, graphics, and thermal limits.  

Image credit: AMD

Image credit: AMD

Battery life could have been better but it's still ok, Windows central's Daniel Rubino reported getting 8 hours of real-world use with his mix of productivity, videos, and web browsing. Battery Life really does depend on your workflow so I would make sure to read reviews and make sure your workflow fits the device before you judge the battery life. With I also want to touch on graphics, AMD's Vega 5 graphics have been great, intel Xe is beating them now but the 5th-gen Ryzen may change that soon. Big Navi is the cumulation of AMD's efforts in Graphics, if they pulled off Big Navi, I think they can beat Xe. 

 

Image credit: AMD

Of course, everyone has their weaknesses and for AMD it's optimizations and enterprise. As seen in many flagship laptops intel co-designs many laptops, especially those certified for Project Athena and intel Evo. Once AMD can start to form relationships with OEM's and manufactures, they can begin to chip into intel's lead. AMD is also trying to get into enterprise with Ryzen pro but with limited adoption they need more, as we'll see later intel is the default option for enterprise. AMD needs to continue with Ryzen Pro and just keep getting better, intel knows the ins and outs of the enterprise game, AMD just needs to stick to it to learn just like intel did.  Once AMD fixes these issues, I think they'll be in the clear.

 

Image credit: Windows central

Overall AMD is firing on all cylinders and I have every confidence in Ryzen and Radeon to pave the way. I look forward to the Ryzen 5000 series that hopefully continues with AMD's winning patterns and improves on their enterprise weaknesses.

 

Intel

Speaking of Xe where does this leave intel? We've discussed the current state of AMD in Laptops now let's talk about intel in their current state. Intel is doing....ok so far, obviously their still blundering their way towards 7nm and are currently stuck at 10nm on their 11th-gen tiger lake chips, 11th gen does bring some welcome changes in terms of performance and graphics. So, I authored an entire article about 11th gen at this link: https://bentechcode.blogspot.com/2020/08/intels-11th-gen-line-is-interesting.html. The article is the in-depth analysis that you may be looking for but for others reading here is the abridged version.  

Image credit: Intel

11th Gen 'Tiger Lake' brings moderate CPU improvements with massive GPU gains, of course it's using the new willow cove architecture that relies on new "Super-Fin" transistors to bring better performance and efficiency, others such as AMD and Apple often shrink nm to achieve the same goal.  Here's what I said about Tiger Lake 3 months ago:

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With 11th gen Tiger Lake intel is basically trying to cover up their 7nm blunders but if it works, I'm fine with that too. Nothing is the same as 7nm and intel simply can't keep throwing cores or transistors at the problem. Intel needed a win, but I don't think Super-Fin is the long-term answer to their shortcomings; but hey, a band-aid is better than nothing. Especially considering how wounded intel is right now; intel is staving off defeat...for now.  

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I stand by what I said, even though initial reports are positive what happens when AMD releases the 5th-gen Ryzen, what happens when the M1 starts getting tested, or worse what happens when the M2 is released? Of course, I hope intel can turn this around but they’re not going to be able to sustain the CPU gains they need to stay competitive.  

Image credit: intel

Now leaving the CPU aside.... let’s talk Xe; Xe is the bright spot on an otherwise negative report. Xe is the momentous change that will and does define 11th-gen and beyond, here's what I said about Xe earlier:

 

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On the flipside are the Xe Graphics that might just be a victory for intel. The lower end Xe are better than the highest end iris+ graphics so far and that's really saying something. I don't think intel will be able to aspire to all 4 tiers of their plan for Xe but if they can reach the potential of the Lp tier it can be transformative in mid-range laptops that rely on integrated graphics. 

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So, putting the tiers aside Xe has been tested and the results are...amazing, they are actually competitive with discrete cards from Nvidia, and mind you Xe is integrated not discrete.  Xe is what makes a difference, a discrete GPU helps efficiency and power consumption, meaning you get the power of an MX-series Nvidia GPU with better battery life. 11th gen gets great battery life as well with some reviews saying they got 8-10 hours of real-world use, of course I must stress that you check your workflow before judging the battery for yourself. One last thing, intel has been experimenting with Ai features that with the proper optimization  brings out the best of programs and apps, intel is still the market leader meaning that they have the best optimization and higher priority than AMD. Unbelievably it makes a stark difference in the experience and many such as Daniel Rubino of Windows central believe that makes it key for intel.

The last part is enterprise and we've already seen AMD's struggles with the category, intel however is dominant. Intel continues with its enterprise series of chipsets and their focus on security, productivity, and compliance with industry standards. Intel is keeping enterprise well-fed; this means that if they innovate with the rest of 11th-gen enterprise should be just fine.

 

Moving Forward with x86

As we've seen here x86 is still the go-to if you need solid performance and pretty good battery life, and although Apple tries to dazzle us with their M1 we still don't know how it's going to perform. Hype wears off and it's important to be skeptical of recent technology before declaring it the winner of all time and space. I agree, ARM does offer distinct benefits and features that aren't available right now for x86 machines, but it isn't the end of the World for x86.  We've seen with Xe and Ryzen 4000 that x86 has the power to be efficient and the performance to be game-changing. If AMD and intel can adjust to the new competition from Apple they will survive, like the words of the great Ian Malcom "life finds a way".  X86 has found its place and it's not going down without a fight.

 

Editor’s note: I did not mention the hybrid series of chips from intel such as Lakefield and the upcoming Alder lake due to the point of the article to be covering the latest and greatest in mobile from intel and AMD.  If you want some of my thoughts on Lakefield, you can read my article at this link: https://bentechcode.blogspot.com/2020/07/intel-lakefield-isintriguing.html.

 

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